Juvenile Delinquency And The Law Of The United States Essay

Definitions of juvenile delinquency vary everywhere you go in the world. The laws change from country to country and even from state to state. The United States Justice Department defines a juvenile as â€Å"a person who has not attained his eighteenth birthday†, and juvenile delinquency â€Å"as the violation of a law of the United States committed by a person prior to his eighteenth birthday, which would have been a crime if committed by an adult† (Office). The Justice Department also says, â€Å"A person over eighteen but under twenty-one years of age is also accorded juvenile treatment if the act of juvenile delinquency occurred prior to his eighteenth birthday† (Office). Many states have lowered the age of a juvenile to seventeen. The way a juvenile has been treated over the years has changed drastically. We can trace the first penalties for crime against society, both property and personal, back to biblical times. The Old Testament is loaded with laws that led to immediate punishments, which ranged from public shame to death. The Bible was specific to make the punishment fit the crime. Deuteronomy 21:18-21 tells that if a man has a son that is rebellious, doesn’t obey his father or mother, and will not listen then he should be brought to the elders of the city. The son will be publically berated, all the men of the city will stone him, and he shall die. The evil would be taken away from them and fear would be on Israel (Bible). Age was not a major consideration forShow MoreRelatedThe 19th Century : The Nineteenth Century1333 Words   |  6 PagesThe 19th Century Political The youth of today can hardly compare to those of 200 years ago. As a matter of fact, under Common Law, a person between the ages of eight and fourteen could have been considered an adult (Blackstone, W., 1760). At the turn of the century the Revolutionary War occurred barely twenty years earlier and was actually still going on in places like Louisiana. Youth of that day had probably taken part in the war in one form or another which caused them to mature at a faster rateRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency : The United States1458 Words   |  6 Pages Juvenile Delinquency in the United States We live in a world where there is a great deal of investment allotted to our children and our culture tend to be overprotective of our youth. Rightfully so, our younger citizens are considered the building blocks of our nation and the carriers of our legacy in the future. But in spite of stringent laws that seem to protect our youth, other factors such as race, poverty, and environment are catalysts for delinquent youth behavior. Juvenile crime isRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency in the United States1585 Words   |  6 PagesJuvenile Crime Statistics Wendy R Swartz Keiser University Abstract: In this document, the topic of juvenile delinquency in the United States is thoroughly examined. Approximately 1.5 million minors (those are citizens who are under the age of 18) are arrested for criminal activity each year in the US. These juveniles are arrested for a variety of crimes; everything from petty vandalism and loitering to prostitution, drug dealing, and even murder. Of these, 70% of offenders will be tried andRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency Is An Integral Part Of Criminology1559 Words   |  7 Pagescurb delinquency in juveniles. Children are expected to be obedient, respectful and imbibe virtues and good quality in them. Due to various reasons children do not follow settled social and legal dictum. Juvenile delinquency, as a legal concept is of recent origin. Juvenile delinquency is an integral part of criminology. The two cannot be separated since one of the reasons for crime and its continuance into adult life is the ineffective control and treatment of juveniles. Ju venile delinquency is aRead MoreJuvenile Crime Paper1080 Words   |  5 PagesJuvenile Crime Paper Malina Wiese CJS/200 December 9,2012 Juvenile Crime Paper Juvenile Court is a tribunal having special authority to try and pass judgments for crimes committed by children or adolescents who have not attained the age of maturity, generally defined as persons under the age of 18 and above the age of 10. Adult Court is a court of law where adults can be tried, and if convicted, face adult punishment such as probation, adult prison, or even the death penalty. Juvenile casesRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency And The Juvenile Justice System1299 Words   |  6 Pagesdedicated his life to troubled juveniles once said, â€Å"I believe that the kids who are labeled â€Å"good† are children who know how to solve their problems and manage their behavior and social life, and the kids who are labeled â€Å"bad† are kids who don’t know how to solve those problems.† Every day, kids are committing illegal acts of varying severity. Some are involved in petty robberies, others involved in murders and rape. These juveniles become the responsibility of the juvenile justice system which is taskedRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency Prevention Act Of 19741576 Words   |  7 Pagesexploring the internet on juvenile delinquents. We as a class have had many good questions to answer about the different ways juveniles are treated, and what the correct or incorrect treatment is for juveniles. We have written many papers and had many discussio n on historical milestones, landmark cases, adult courts, juvenile courts, probation and parole, detention centers and juvenile training programs. This semester has really changed the way that I look at juvenile delinquents. Three historicalRead MoreThe Juvenile Justice System Essay examples1326 Words   |  6 PagesThe Juvenile Justice System Jodia M Murphy Kaplan University CJ150 Juvenile Delinquency Professor Thomas Woods July 31, 2012 Abstract This paper takes a brief look at the history and evolution of the juvenile justice system in the United States. In recent years there has been an increase of juvenile cases being transferred into the adult court system. This paper will also look at that process and the consequences of that trend. History and Evolution In the early nineteenth centuryRead More Preventing Juvenile Delinquency Essay1386 Words   |  6 PagesPreventing Juvenile Delinquency The saying is that history often repeats itself. If this is true then society will have to deal with the complex burden of juvenile who eventually become adult criminals. However, if this saying is not true then the community in which juvenile delinquency exist must have the tool necessary to divert the youth in the community. If one is to change delinquent youth’s behavior, they need to variegate the justice system in order to prevent juvenile delinquent recidivismsRead MoreModern Day Juvenile Justice System882 Words   |  4 PagesThe modern day Juvenile Justice System (JJS) in the U.S. evolved out of fragmented reform movements throughout the country that began in 1800 and continued into the 1900’s, Progressive Era. Out of the many movements that were occurring in various states, two pioneered approaches took place that could easily be considered the roots of the entire JJS. In 1824 in the state of New York, the New York House of Refuge became the nationâ€℠¢s first reformatory for children. For the first time, there was an

The Images Of The Jewish People Within - 1385 Words

Kayla Walcott Gwendolyn Guth English Quebec Writers October 29th 2014 The images of the Jewish people within are represented through the tainting of their culture through the use of negative stereotypes, but even more so by the descriptive examples of anti-Semitism and religious traditions. One of many mentioned stereotypes, is the perception that all Jews are wealthy one of the times that this is asserted is when it states, â€Å"If you got it right on your bar-mitzvah who knows but the rich uncle might buy you a Parker 51 set.† (Richler 28). The context of this is when a comparison between European and Jewish children is made, and because of the presumption that a Jewish boy would receive an expensive pen set from his uncle demonstrates†¦show more content†¦(...) Where supremely orthodox woman went once a month to purify themselves.† (53) This act of going to the ritual baths is accustom to Jewish culture and so shows how the traditions of the Jewish faith are represented within Discrimination towards the Jewish religion and ethnicity is evident within as several examples show the ignorance of others towards the Jews and is a reflection of how their community was seen by others. The influence that the racism has on the children becomes apparent through showing that they are accustom to it once they arrive at a public beach and see a soda stand when Hershey says, â€Å"Gas should go,† Hershey said. â€Å"He’s the least jewish looking of the gang.† (68). The children try to get their â€Å"Non-Jewish† looking friend to buy the drinks because they know they will be denied service by the vendor for being Jewish, this examples follows with the discovery of a sign stating that Jews are prohibited from swimming in the public area of the beach, and must swim in their designated area. The Jewish culture is symbolized through the contrast of the way in which they are not only how they are perceived negatively by others, but how they want to be perceived. The community acknowledges the stereotypes by somewhat

Project Management Tools and Techniques Business Organizations

Question: Describe about the Project Management Tools and Techniques for Business Organizations. Answer: Introduction The management of projects in the right direction with the help of suitable tools and techniques is called project management. Project Management is essential for all business organizations for evolution or modifications of business strategies and other aspects. Managing these projects in the right direction is an important step towards making the project a successful venture for the business organizations (Burke 2013). Risk management is an important stage of project management where possible risks are identified and solutions are prepared. This is important for the development of organizational strategies. Milestones are the points of the project where particular deliverables are met. In other words, there are a number of deliverables of a project that are to be met, each at a different phase of a project. Project, Programme and Portfolio Management are all related to each other and the organizational strategy affects the course of all these factors significantly. A project is a se t of activities that is to be performed in a specified path to obtained a desired outcome for benefitting the organization. Programme is the schedule and management of some related projects together so that the projects are conducted according to the specified path within a specified programme timeline (Schwalbe 2015). Portfolio Management is the highest level for project management that mainly deals with the management of the activities of the project managers regarding the use and application of resources in the project. Now, researchers have provided different ideas regarding the relationship between project, programme, portfolio management and organizational strategies. A whole project stands on the existing organizational strategy and the objective of the project is to further modify or enhance the organizational strategy to establish more control over the market (Fitzsimmons and Fitzsimmons 2013). For this purpose, the project is first planned with a set of deliverables that n eed to be met during the course of the project. After that, the project programme is executed along with portfolio management. In this report, a critical analysis has been conducted on the relationships between the different parts of project management. Relationships between Different Project Management Tools Some Key Definitions of Project Management Tools Project Management is essential for all business organizations for evolution or modifications of business strategies and other aspects. While projects are designed or prepared, the main aim is always some change in business strategy or some modifications in the existing organization structure (Walker 2015). Managing these projects in the right direction is an important step towards making the project a successful venture for the business organizations. A successful project management system consists of a number of steps or tools. These are as follows. Risk Management This tool or step is taken in order to mitigate any risk associated with the project (Verzuh 2015). This is an important stage of project management where possible risks are identified and solutions are prepared. This is important for the development of organizational strategies. Budgeting Budgeting is essential in any project as the overall costs and cost benefits are identified during this phase. This also affects the direction of the project as well as the quality of the project. Work Breakdown Structure In this part, the overall activities of the project are arranged in a chronological order and the estimated timeline is prepared for completion of all of these tasks (Boud, Cohen and Sampson 2014). This is the most critical part of the project programme as it defines the arrangement of the tasks that will be conducted during the course of the project. Gantt Charts Gantt Charts are the summarized forms of the work breakdown structure showing the paths and dependencies that are critical to the project programme. Critical Path Analysis This is required to determine the paths of the project programme that are critical to the project i.e. these paths must be followed without any errors in order to ensure a successful outcome of the project. Resource Management Resources are essential parts of any project. Resources include funds, hardware, softwares as well as the workers that are related to the project (Bennett and Ho 2014). After the project programme is prepared, the resources are allocated according to the organizational strategy and the project is executed accordingly. Milestones Milestones are the points of the project where particular deliverables are met. In other words, there are a number of deliverables of a project that are to be met, each at a different phase of a project. These deliverables are called milestones. These milestones are preset before the start of the project programme. Reports Project reports are documentations of the outcomes of the project programme. The duration of project, meeting of deliverables, use of resources and others are all documented inside the report. The organizational strategy is modified according to the reported outcomes. Software Softwares are used for data management and calculations in a business project. Softwares like Microsoft Project, Microsoft Outline and others are generally used to create data charts, tables and others in which important business data are kept and calculated. Project Control System This system is used to control the outcomes of the project programme (Gido and Clements 2014). Without any control on activities and outcomes, the ultimate objective may not be met and hence, the project will be a failure. Cost Benefit The outcome of any business project must have a very high cost benefit ratio. Organizational strategies are always based on increasing the cost benefit ratio of any activity and hence, cost benefit analysis is necessary before initiation of any project. Project, Programme, Portfolio Management, Organizational Strategies: How they are affected by Project Management Tools The project management tools discussed are extremely important for ensuring positive outcome of a project. However, there are a several parts of a business project and the tools are used to ensure each of the parts are executed in the correct path. These parts of the project are discussed below. Overall Project This is the summary of the entire project i.e. it is the plan or documentation that contains every information related to the project including costs, timeline, communication plan, deliverables, milestones and others (Marchewka 2014). Preparation of the overall project plan enables the management team to estimate required resources and time as well as modify the organizational strategy accordingly. Again, the change in organizational strategy affects the course of the project and brings in some changes in the overall project. Project manager designs and implements necessary changes in the project based on the requirement of milestones. The activities of the project working team are monitored and controlled for maintaining the path of the project to ensure project success. Project Programme Project programme is the scheduling and management of the project activities according to the plan. Project programme is always designed for the beneficial organizational strategy and is mainly associated with management of several related projects at the same time for a positive outcome from all the projects (Grefen, Pernici and Snchez 2012). Managing several related projects at the same time gives the management team more control over the projects. The project tools discussed can play a significant role in the change in project programme. Programme manager brings changes from inside and outside to deviate the projects to the paths that will ultimately benefit the organization. The project schedule and programme are managed based on the priority of deliverables that will ultimately benefit the organization. Portfolio Management Portfolio Management is the highest level for project management that mainly deals with the management of the activities of the project managers regarding the use and application of resources in the project (Heagney 2012). Portfolio management defines the path and other management resources that are to be used by the project managers for controlling the outcome of the project. Portfolio manager monitors the changes in the project and advises the project manager for the allocation and management of resources and the overall project based on several parameters. Monitoring is done on the development of portfolio, allocation of resources and the role of the project manager that influence the overall outcome of the project. The scope of portfolio is limited within the business and strategic plan of the organization. Organizational Strategies This is the main decisive factor for the planning and outcome of a business project. In the actual case, organizational strategies are decisive factors for all the above discussed factors. The project is planned based on the improvement of cost benefit or a change in the organizational approach in the global market (Bozarth and Handfield 2016). Based on the organizational strategy, the project plan is prepared and project programme is executed. Accordingly, portfolio management is conducted so that the project manager (or managers) can take suitable actions regarding allocation of resources and management of the project activities. Critical Analysis on the Relationships between Project, Programme, Portfolio Management, Organizational Strategies Project, Programme and Portfolio Management are all related to each other and the organizational strategy affects the course of all these factors significantly. A comparison table between the three factors is as below. Characteristic Project Programme Portfolio Definition A project is a set of activities that is to be performed in a specified path to obtained a desired outcome for benefitting the organization This is the schedule and management of some related projects together so that the projects are conducted according to the specified path within a specified programme timeline Portfolio Management is the highest level for project management that mainly deals with the management of the activities of the project managers regarding the use and application of resources in the project Change Project manager designs and implements necessary changes in the project based on the requirement of milestones Programme manager brings changes from inside and outside to deviate the projects to the paths that will ultimately benefit the organization Portfolio manager monitors the changes in the project and advises the project manager for the allocation and management of resources and the overall project based on several parameters Management The activities of the project working team are monitored and controlled for maintaining the path of the project to ensure project success The project schedule and programme are managed based on the priority of deliverables that will ultimately benefit the organization The activities and steps of the project manager are managed so that the resources are allocated in the right manner according to the requirements of the project Monitoring Monitoring is done on the activities of the project as well as the existing situation of the company; a change in plan or situation will result in changes in the project activities as well Monitoring is done on the schedule of the project i.e. changes in the project plan will result in the change in project schedule Monitoring is done on the development of portfolio, allocation of resources and the role of the project manager that influence the overall outcome of the project Planning Planning is done based on the requirements of the organization; there might be change in operational strategies followed by the organization and accordingly, the project plan is prepared The programme is planned based on the priorities of the organization regarding the milestones decided for the project The portfolio is planned based on the management of resources and the role of project manager in the project Scope The scope of the project is limited to the requirement i.e. the requirements on which the project is based on is the ultimate boundary of the project scope The scope of project programme is very wide different executions can be applied for more benefits and successful project outcomes The scope of portfolio is limited within the business and strategic plan of the organization Success The success of project is measured by the quality of the deliverables and milestones that have been the outputs of the entire project The success of the project programme is decided by the success of the outcomes that have been possible because of the management of several related projects together The success of portfolio depends on how well the project manager has been able to manage the project Figure: Relationship between the Four Parts of Project Management Now, researchers have provided different ideas regarding the relationship between project, programme, portfolio management and organizational strategies. A critical review on some these works are as follows. Alotaibi, Sutrisna and Chong (2016) said that the most important part among the four is organizational strategy. They said the whole project stands on the existing organizational strategy and the objective of the project is to further modify or enhance the organizational strategy to establish more control over the market. For this purpose, the project is first planned with a set of deliverables that need to be met during the course of the project. After that, the project programme is executed along with portfolio management. In other words, the organizational strategy is the foundation stone for the project to materialize. This is true, without an organizational strategy, no project can be planned and materialized. The entire project milestones are based on the strategies of the organization. Moreover, the project milestones largely affect the existing organizational strategy. However, sometimes, this is not true in all cases. Sometimes, the projects are not always totally dependent on organizational strategies (Brle?i? Val?i?, Dimitri? and Dalsaso 2016). Some projects may be conducted for internal development that does not affect the overall business strategy of the organization. Again, there are other projects that are based on expansion of a small or medium sized company that is not related to organizational business plans. Hence, entire project depends on organizational strategy is a misleading term. In his works, Ismaeel (2015) said that project program is the most important part of the business project as it directly affects the organizational strategies as well as the project overall. His point of argument is that the existing organizational strategy decides the initiation of the project. However, the project programme determines the future organizational strategies related to the business and commerce. For instance, the organization targets a specific change in strategy, hence, they decide to execute a project for the change. However, the outcome from the project program is different. If it is not beneficial, it is completely discarded. On the other hand, if it is even more beneficial than the original plan, then the organizational strategy will change further to sustain the benefits that have been gained from the project program (Rusare and Jay 2015). This is quite true in its own right the organizational strategy determines the project programme and the project programme r e-determines the future organizational strategy. However, there are flaws in this statement as well. The final organizational strategy does not only depend on the project programme; it depends on the overall project output. The milestones of the project are achieved by the overall activities of the project and that involves project planning, portfolio and project programme. Hence, although the statement is true to quite some extend, sometimes it is misleading. Lapina and Sluka (2015) in their works said that the portfolio management is the most important part of project management as it involves management of resources and the working team by the project manager. Different project managers have different takes on projects and hence, there must be some suitable standards and guidelines that should be followed while managing the project. Moreover, resource management is an essential part of project. Lack of resources will stop the project at a certain time while too many expenses of resources will result in reduction of cost benefit ratio that is to be gained from the project outcome. Hence, managing the project in a certain way is necessary. However, this statement is also not always true. Controlling the activities of project manager is not always a good idea. The project manager may have some ideas that can actually benefit the overall project (Kerzner 2013). Again, while executing the project, the manager may be able to identify certain risks or faults within the project that were not visible initially. Hence, without controlling the project manager activities and depending entirely on portfolio management, some duties should be given to him that he will have to manage alone. Conclusion From the entire report, it can be concluded that all the parts discussed are equally important to the project and that all the parts are closely interconnected to each other. The project is first planned with a set of deliverables that need to be met during the course of the project. After that, the project programme is executed along with portfolio management. In other words, the organizational strategy is the foundation stone for the project to materialize. This is true, without an organizational strategy, no project can be planned and materialized. The entire project milestones are based on the strategies of the organization. Moreover, the project milestones largely affect the existing organizational strategy. However, sometimes, this is not true in all cases. Again, the organization targets a specific change in strategy, hence, they decide to execute a project for the change. However, the outcome from the project program is different. If it is not beneficial, it is completely dis carded. On the other hand, if it is even more beneficial than the original plan, then the organizational strategy will change further to sustain the benefits that have been gained from the project program. This is quite true in its own right the organizational strategy determines the project programme and the project programme re-determines the future organizational strategy. Finally, different project managers have different takes on projects and hence, there must be some suitable standards and guidelines that should be followed while managing the project. Moreover, resource management is an essential part of project. Lack of resources will stop the project at a certain time while too many expenses of resources will result in reduction of cost benefit ratio that is to be gained from the project outcome. Hence, managing the project in a certain way is necessary. This study proves that all the factors are decisive in the successful outcome of the project. References Alotaibi, N.O., Sutrisna, M. and Chong, H.Y., 2016. Guidelines of Using Project Management Tools and Techniques to Mitigate Factors Causing Delays in Public Construction Projects in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.Journal of Engineering, Project, and Production Management,6(2), p.90. Bennett, J.M. and Ho, D.S., 2014. Human resource management. InPROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR ENGINEERS(pp. 231-249). Binder, J., 2016.Global project management: communication, collaboration and management across borders. CRC Press. Boud, D., Cohen, R. and Sampson, J. eds., 2014.Peer learning in higher education: Learning from and with each other. Routledge. Bozarth, C.B. and Handfield, R.B., 2016.Introduction to operations and supply chain management. Pearson Higher Ed. Brle?i? Val?i?, S., Dimitri?, M. and Dalsaso, M., 2016. Effective Project Management Tools for Modern Organizational Structures.Pomorski zbornik,51(1), pp.131-145. Burke, R., 2013. Project management: planning and control techniques.New Jersey, USA. Crawford, J.K., 2014.Project management maturity model. CRC Press. Fitzsimmons, J. and Fitzsimmons, M., 2013.Service management: Operations, strategy, information technology. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Gido, J. and Clements, J.P., 2014.Successful project management. Nelson Education. Grefen, P., Pernici, B. and Snchez, G. eds., 2012.Database support for workflow management: the WIDE project(Vol. 491). Springer Science Business Media. Heagney, J., 2012.Fundamentals of project management. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. Ismaeel, W.S., 2015. Assessing and Developing the Application of LEED Green Building Rating System as a Sustainable Project Management and Market Tool in the Italian Context. Kerzner, H.R., 2013.Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons. Lapina, G. and Sluka, I., 2015. PROJECT LAB AS A LEARNING TOOL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT COMPETENCES AT UNIVERSITY.Journal of Business Management, (10). Leach, L.P., 2014.Critical chain project management. Artech House. Marchewka, J.T., 2014.Information technology project management. John Wiley Sons. Rusare, M. and Jay, C.I., 2015. The project implementation profile: A tool for enhancing management of NGO projects.Progress in Development Studies,15(3), pp.240-252. Schumann, C.A., Gerischer, H., Tittmann, C., Orth, H., Xiao, F., Schwarz, B. and Schumann, M.A., 2014. Development of International Educational Systems by Competence Networking based on Project Management.Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,119, pp.192-201. Schwalbe, K., 2015.Information technology project management. Cengage Learning. Turner, R., 2016.Gower handbook of project management. Routledge. Verzuh, E., 2015.The fast forward MBA in project management. John Wiley Sons. Walker, A., 2015.Project management in construction. John Wiley Sons.

Skills You Need for College

You have finally made it to high school graduation and college is looming large in the near future. But are you ready? You know your way around a scientific calculator, and you can write a killer research paper, but do you have the soft skills to be a successful college student? Being academically prepared and being prepared in other areas of your life are two different things altogether. College readiness goes beyond the courses you’ve taken and the SAT and ACT exams you’ve sat for. Some of the skills that you need to be a successful college student are often not found in a classroom setting. Let’s take a look at some skills you need to ensure your successful passage from graduating senior to lowly freshman undergrad, ready to â€Å"adult.† Time Management Time: we only get so much of it, and what you do with it really matters. For this reason, one of the most valuable skills you need to hone prior to heading off to college is time management. (Consequently, mastering time management is a good idea, since you will need this skill in nearly every area of your life in adulthood). Learn now how to prepare a schedule that factors in time spent in class and time spent studying and preparing – really studying and preparing – for each class. Now balance that with everything else that you’ll want and need to do once you’re â€Å"out on your own†. Maybe you need to factor in time for working, and you’ll naturally want to make time for attending student activities and hanging with your friends. Creating a schedule that works for you is a skill that must be learned, even if on the fly, by all successful college students. Study Skills Even if you have some mad study skills in high school, college-level work is another animal altogether. What was â€Å"good effort† in high school may not equally translate in college. Learn how to take notes effectively, use the library for research, and hone your study skills now – you’ll need them when you’re taking advanced classes in college. Managing Stress Stress management is essential for college students. Whereas before, you were in a more sheltered high school and home environment, living on campus means doing many of the things that adults have to do, all on your own. Eat well, get plenty of sleep, and exercise regularly to keep stress to a minimum. Find coping mechanisms, whether it’s prayer or yoga, to help you de-stress. Managing Money While some high school graduates have the money management thing down pat, the truth is most kids fresh out of school have no idea how to budget and handle money. Learn all you can now about making and sticking to a budget, balancing your checkbook, and living within your means. Most college students live on a shoestring budget, so learning how to get the most for your money and avoiding indulgent purchases is important. Self-Care You’ve so far had your parents to monitor your health for the most part. Now you’re in charge. You have to learn how to care for your physical health. Practicing good hygiene and self-care, making time for proper nutrition, and seeking medical attention when a problem arises is all on your shoulders now. Personal Responsibility Learning personal responsibility is key to mastering all of the above skills. Personal responsibility means being honest and having integrity, but it also means respecting the rules and following them. It is also your responsibility to avoid risky behaviors that are often enticing to young students and making smart choices now instead of making decisions that might negatively impact your otherwise bright future. In essence, you are the master of your ship, and it’s in your hands how you steer your course.

THE CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR Essays - Slavery In The United States

THE CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR Essays - Slavery In The United States THE CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR "The tragic ?fireball in the night? imagined by Jefferson had finally rung. The Missouri Compromise had failed. Proslavery and antislavery civilians clashed in the streets and took up arms. Thousands of Northerners were willing to die for their beliefs. The Civil War had begun. The states were at war with each other." This dividing battle between the North and the South was unavoidable. The Civil War was caused by economic, political and moral problems. It all started by an alarming increase in a need for cotton, which triggered the building of a barrier between two territories in a growing nation. New Machinery was changing the textile industry in New England and Britain. These mills needed more and more cotton, creating a new demand in the south. For this trade with Europe, after 1812, raw cotton accounted for one-third all cotton exports of the United States. By 1830, it increased to half. Cotton quickly became a big money-making cash crop for the South and North economy alike. But the demand also revived the need for slaves. The plantations had to be worked, and blacks were a cheap, efficient way to get the cotton picked. To make their jobs easier, Eli Whitney took advantage of the new idea, and invented the cotton gin(short for engine). It rapidly cleaned the seeds from the short, sticky fibers of upland cotton, the variety that grew all over the South. The process was simple: a roller carried raw cotton along wooden slats. Sharp metal teeth thrust through the slats and quickly pulled the fibers from the seeds. In 1794, he obtained a patent. Whitney still earned little because it was simple enough for manufacturers to copy. Even though the machine made attaining cotton faster, slaves were still pushed to work harder and produce more. Blacks under captivity certainly led a harsh, unfair life. But that is where the white southerners believed blacks belonged. Northerners knew better. Harriet Beecher-Stowe, a female, black abolitionist was aware of these conditions. She wrote Uncle Tom?s Cabin, which was published in 1852, and described the incredible cruelty and horrors of slavery. Stowe wanted to "write something that would make the whole nation feel what an accursed thing slavery is." Her novel became widely popular, and within a year, readers had bought 300,000 copies. Wherever it went, it carried it?s powerful message of the evils of slavery. She hoped the novel would bring a peaceful end to slavery, but instead it seemed to bring the nation closer to war. Of course, not all Southerners supported slavery, nor did all Northerners oppose it. Yet antislavery feelings were on the rise in the North?few white Southerners went to extremes. Their concern lay in maintaining the plantation system as it existed. With her book she was able to gain many Northerners support in the antislavery race, yet at the same time she outraged the Southerners. Harriet?s novel was one of the many things that sparred mistrust between the North and South. The North didn?t trust the South because they refused to help Southern plantation owners capture slaves. North depended on the South for making money, and the South depended on the slaves to pick their cotton. This created the Northern fear of Competition. The North was afraid that South would gain power of crops and put them out of business. This meant that slavery would double. The North was torn between giving the slaves their rightful choices, or keeping the economy balanced. It was a matter of moral standards. The South wanted to break away from the union, while the North still wanted the two territories to stick together. This conflict was the main cause of the Civil War. The South argued about their state?s rights. They said a state could nullify a federal law it did not consider constitutional. Southern states based their right to leave the union, on the fact the original 13 states had existed separately before they formed together for the United States. The South could break their allegiance to the union because they were not part of the original U.S. If they could form there own confederacy, the South could continue the use of slaves while also

The Keyboards Every Writer Should Be Using - Freewrite Store

The Keyboards Every Writer Should Be Using - Freewrite Store As a writer, you’ve probably used a variety of different keyboards, and  know that they’re not all created equal. Keyboards come in many different styles and choosing the right one can have a big effect on your typing speed, comfort, and accuracy. Some have traditional solid, clicky keys with switches inside them, some have modern flat, silent keys, and some fall halfway in between. What kind of keyboard should you be using? In this article, we’ll look at the three main types of keyboards, what makes them different from each other, and which one is likely to be best for you. Membrane keyboards These days, most desktop keyboards are membrane keyboards. Their name derives from their construction. Rather than each key being independent with an inbuilt mechanical switch, all the keys sit on top of a single plastic membrane that houses the electronic circuitry. Between the keys and the circuitry is a rubber sheet with domes that give the keys their characteristic bounce-back when you type. They’re popular because they’re light, cheap to produce, are relatively spill-resistant and give you a bit of tactile feedback. Chiclet keyboards If you’re typing on a modern laptop, chances are you have an island-style keyboard, popularly known as a chiclet keyboard because the square keys with radial corners look somewhat like Chiclets chewing gum. While there’s usually a membrane beneath these keyboards too, the rubber domes that are present beneath higher-profile keys are either omitted altogether or replaced with scissor switches or butterfly switches, which enable the use of very low, flat keys that can fit into thinner and thinner devices. Mechanical keyboards The main difference with a mechanical keyboard is that each key is a separate component with its own switch and metal spring. There are many different kinds of switches that can be used in mechanical keyboards, and each type gives a different user experience with varying levels of travel (the distance you have to press the key for it to register a stroke), bump (the level of tactile feedback) and noise (the click the key makes when depressed). Most mechanical keyboards contain Cherry switches. While their patent for the switch design has recently expired, opening the way for other manufacturers to imitate it, Cherry is still considered the industry leader in keyboard switch technology. Their MX switch, which was first introduced to the market in 1983, is one of the most successful ever made. Cherry switches come in different colors, and each color has its own set of characteristics. The full range is wide, but there are three main variants. Cherry MX Blue These switches have a tactile bump and a loud click that occurs when the keystroke registers, and are favoured by those who like a more typewriter-esque experience. They only need to be depressed to the click point to activate the keystroke but require more force than the Red or Brown variants. Cherry MX Red These switches are favoured by gamers because they have no tactile bump or noise and require less force to press, which is an advantage when you’re engaged in a fast-paced cyber-battle. Cherry MX Brown These are an excellent all-rounder switch – they require the lighter actuation force of the Reds but have the nice tactile bump of the Blues. They lack the Blues’ loud click, however, making them perfect for use in offices or coffee shops where you don’t want to annoy those around you with a constant flurry of clacky keystrokes. Why mechanical keyboards are better for writers People who convert to mechanical keyboards often become lifelong fans because of the satisfying typing experience and range of benefits they get from using them. What makes mechanical keyboards so good for writers? 1. Accuracy There’s nothing worse than trying to type fast on a chiclet keyboard where all the keys are flat and close together, and you’re forever hitting the key beside the one you want with the edge of your finger. Like the keys on a traditional typewriter, mechanical keyboard keycaps tend to be nicely contoured to help your finger naturally hit the centre of the key as you type, resulting in fewer typos. 2. Comfort Mechanical keyboards require less force to type, and you don’t need to press the keys all the way down – only to the point of the click or the tactile bump. Membrane keyboards require you to â€Å"bottom out† each key complete the circuit, something that people often describe as a heavy, â€Å"mushy† typing experience, leading to fatigue in the fingers, hands and wrists. 3. Speed Contoured, more responsive keys naturally lead to faster typing. Another benefit of mechanical keyboards is n-key rollover. Rollover is a technical term for how many simultaneous keypresses a keyboard can register accurately. Membrane keyboards often have a much lower rollover which results in â€Å"ghosting†. That’s when you’re typing flat out, your keystrokes overlap, and your keyboard registers extra keystrokes, resulting in additional â€Å"ghost† letters. Keyboards with n-key rollover can accurately register every keypress, regardless of how many keys you strike simultaneously, meaning you don’t have to slow down to improve accuracy or stop to fix ghosting typos. 4. Durability Mechanical keyboards last a lot longer than their membrane counterparts. Rubber dome switches tend to lose their bounce after about five million keystrokes, and you’ll notice that some keys will become unreliable or stop working completely. In comparison, Cherry key switches are designed to last for fifty million keystrokes. 5. Customization If you’ve got Cherry switches on your mechanical keyboard, you can swap out the keycaps for other styles. Gaming? Change your W, A, S, D keys to red, so they’re easier to locate quickly. Swap your function keys or numeric keypad to a contrasting color for extra style and visibility. Want to modify the feel of the keys? Grab a dampening kit to reduce the travel and key noise. Ready to make the switch? If you’re raring to write your next novel, article or poem on a mechanical keyboard, have a look at The Freewrite by Astrohaus - a smart typewriter that incorporates an industry-leading full-size mechanical keyboard into a portable device with an E-ink screen that works perfectly outdoors as well as indoors. A stand-alone writing tool, it contains none of the distractions of your desktop or laptop, but still has the ability to save your work to the Cloud. Designed especially for writers, the mechanical keyboard contains Cherry MX Brown switches which means not only will you be distraction-free, but so will everyone around you. Check out the Freewrite 2nd Generation Smart Typewriter for more information. Related: Laptop vs. Freewrite    About the author: Claire Wilkins is a freelance copywriter and editor from New Zealand. She loves to write about travel, health, home, and proper punctuation. After a career in financial services spanning almost three decades, Claire left the corporate world behind to start Unmistakable - her writing and editing business. She creates website copy, blogs, and newsletters for creative agencies and small businesses, and  specializes  in polishing existing content until it shines. In her spare time, Claire enjoys cloud-spotting, singing in the car and editing video.

Assess the Value of Formal Investment Appraisal Techniques Essay

Assess the Value of Formal Investment Appraisal Techniques - Essay Example The central themes of all three writers under review have therefore been to look into how best practices in formal investment start up have been adhered to; particularly with the cases of acquisition of venture capital. Below, there is a detailed discussion of the three themes of the essay as presented from the perspectives of the three writers. Formal Investment Appraisal as Part of a Businesss Plan (Ashmalla et al.) Ashamalla, Orife and Abel (2008) who pointed to venture capital as a formal investment type in today’s contemporary world, they point to the designing of business plans as the most viable formal investment appraisal to use to secure venture capital and also assess the progress of the ventures that come out of the venture capital investment. Ashamalla, Orife and Abel (2008 p. 385) take the meaning of formal investment from the perspective of venture capital. The writers therefore undertake exclusive research on how business owners perceive venture capital and how they go about the subject. The writers explain that venture capital is an aspect of formal investment whereby business owners and investors seek for source of funding to start up their businesses and ventures. This is has indeed been an ongoing phenomenon in contemporary business setting for a very long time. Primarily, investors and entrepreneurs seek for capital to start up their businesses because of the belief they have always had in their abilities to make revenues, amass profits and pay off the sources of their capital. Because the search for capital to start up any venture results in an eventual amassment of wealth, Ashamalla, Orife and Abel (2008, p. 386) regard the practice as an important investment pattern in contemporary business scenarios. Generally, investments are undertaken to make profits. To this extent, the writer agrees with Ashamalla, Orife and Abel (2008) on this point that venture capital is now regarded as an important source of formal investment for business owners and investors. The writer however criticizes the situation whereby investors have to look for other form of funds to pay off their debts. This is because it is not always certain that the ventures they start will be profitable. The writers therefore collected data on how different respondents who were all business oriented personnel viewed and envisioned the use of business plan as an appraisal technique. In the larger sense, there were several respondents who agreed to the importance of business plans in helping investors secure venture capital. The reason given by such respondents has to do with the fact that business plans helps the creditors in assessing the real strategies and visions of the capital seekers. In this way, the capital seekers are put in a better position to convince creditors that they have put enough plans in place to pay off the debts should it be granted. There were respondents who also held the view that business plans are only cosmetic and that they do not actually raise the chances of capital seekers of securing capital. From the estimation of the writer, an investor who has not started a venture yet could have nothing more tangible in proofing his lot than a business plan. Business plans are there very important appraisal techniqu

Analysis of Ducatis Success Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis of Ducatis Success - Case Study Example Minoli’s turnaround was attributed to the company’s identification of its core competencies which were used for the turnaround. To this end, significant resources and money were devoted. Furthermore, In addition to the creation of Ducati stores in particular markets, the company has expanded its customer base which was once restricted to a handful of expert bikers. Ducati can sustain its position in the sports segment if it manages to remain focused on this niche segment and continues to innovate. This is because the company already enjoys a strong position in this segment by virtue of its unique valve control system which has an unmatched sound (see Appendix 1). Furthermore, it can capitalize its already strong reputation owing to its high performance in the international racing circuit symbolized by the â€Å"dramatic victory† of its 750 Super Sports model (Gavetti, 2002). This, added with favorable press coverage and the company’s branding strategy of collaborating with various players in the racing market, can increase the demand for Ducati’s products and strengthen its image (see Appendix 1). Considering that most authors have vouched for the significance of competitive human resources as a source of competitive advantage (Kleiman, 2010), Ducati to has a team of top class engineers that shall enable it a continued success in the segment. Ducati faces threat from Japanese manufacturers that were more reliable and efficient than the motorcycles developed by Ducati. Although Honda and other Japanese manufacturers pose a threat to the survival of Ducati in this segment, they cannot stop Ducati’s growth in this segment. This is because Ducati possessed top class engineers that were adamant at defeating Japanese competitors.  Ã‚  

Identifying a problem “Drug trafficking” Essay Example for Free

Identifying a problem â€Å"Drug trafficking† Essay This paper studies two different opinions on the impact of drug trafficking laws. One school feels that current laws on drugs have been effective and efficient in containing drug use problem and should be retained. Others see the laws as unjustifiably harsh and skewed against certain groups in society. They argue that drugs should be legalized to help solve abuse problem. The first article gives an open assessment of the impact drug laws have had on drug use problem. The Successes And Failures Of George Bush’s War On Drugs (Check, Dan, 1995). Successive U. S presidents have delivered a plan to fight off drug abuse. President Bush campaign against drug trafficking was similar to that of Ronald Reagan before him. According to Check, their emphasis was on reduction of demand of drugs at home. This was a shift away from curtailing supply in foreign markets. The bush was campaign according to Dan Check targeted the offender rather than the problems. This plan emphasized the incarceration of offenders over rehabilitate and campaigns on avoidance of drug use. The administration boosted its drugs war kitty with the drug law enforcement getting the loin’s share. The penitentiary system also got a substantial amount leaving only a relatively small amount for rehabilitation and a version. Prevention would be carried out through the existing program called DARE. This program targeted school kids. States were bound by this plan and any diversion would attract financial sanctions. This plan has some positive results in that there was significant reduction in cocaine abuse. This effort was felt mainly in the middle class. Check partly attributes this to new realization by the middle class of the efforts of cocaine. The plan however failed in curbing drug use among the poor. According to Dan Check, drug abuse among the poor actually rose with the introduction of the plan. He adds that severe crack down of uses over burdened the prison system. It did not address the root cause of drug trafficking The Drug War on Civic Liberties (Dan Baum, 1992) According to Baum, the war on drugs is an infringement on one’s rights. The laws are unreasonably harsh and hysterical and hence should be done away with. New laws introduced follow the precedence set by the first drug laws. First drug laws on marijuana and cocaine were retrospective as they were made with a certain group of people in mind. The more recent drug legislation is also made with the black community in mind. This community is the biggest victim of drug law enforcement. These laws are racially motivated. There are more black youth in prison than any other group despite their minority status on drug grounds. They make easy targets of law enforcers. He feels that the drug laws have become petty and harsh to ‘offenders’. Mere possession of drugs even without the intent earns one a maximum sentence. First offenders are not given lighter sentences. Past drug offenses continue to haunt the offender as he or she is labeled as a threat to society and is closely monitored. However what is surprising is that, while the legislations theoretically target drug pusher, it is mainly those who are found in possession who are found in jail. According to Baum, the courts are skewed against offenders in drug cases. The drug laws ensure rather harsh judgments are dished out in federal courts, leaving the judges very small room to maneuver. They also give prosecutors the right to challenge the ‘light’ decisions, which is normally the prerogative of the accused. The cases are not heard in state courts but in federal courts. The penitentiary system does not aim at rehabilitation of drug offenders rather it is pre-occupied with punishment. Expenditure on rehabilitation program fades in comparison with expenditure on drug enforcements laws. Law enforcers unfairly target drug offenders because of the hefty bonuses they earn when they successfully present evidence that leads to conviction of the drug offender. They employ heavy surveillance of past offenders and carry out warrant less searches on a suspect’s property or cars. Baum feels that drug offenders do not enjoy civil right enjoyed by other defendants in courts of law. Their property can be attached along with legal fees of the defense attorney. They are also denied bail to keep the streets risk free. He adds that, the drug enforcement agencies evaluate their success on the basis of overblown value of seized drugs in the black market rather than level of emancipation of the people from drug dependency. The federal government has enhanced its budget on drug law enforcement with the sole aim of jailing offenders over prioritizes the war against drugs over other crucial areas such as environmental degradation. This campaign has bloated the prison system while the judicial system is overworked. More officers are employed to deal with the perceived threats of drug use. Most tax payers are content on increased government expenditure in the war against drugs. This, Baum points out, is as a result of the amount of public information that is available to the taxpayers. The media gives war on drugs a lot of coverage and puts much emphasis of drugs. This is in addition various public campaigns against drug use. Few people express a different opinion on the issue is due to victimization on anybody who speaks out on the injustices of the system by law enforcers. Baum urges that convictions of drug possession are conviction of a crime without a victim. He adds that it is wasting away of productive labor force in the young men held up in prison. Most of those serving time for drug possessions are responsible and peace loving individuals.

Love For Life Essay -- essays research papers

Raised with strict family values, I cringe to phrases like, "I can’t wait to get my children out of the house," or "As soon as my children reach 18, they are on their own." I become shocked to discover that age defines the release date in which children are no longer supported by parents. Children are the offspring to which parents give birth to in life. Regardless of the age, an individual will always be a child to one’s mother or father and should receive support until, and beyond, the age of being released into the world. Support is the assistance provided on earth. In order to live happily in this world, one must be supported or support themselves with food, a house, finance, security, approval, acceptance, and love. These, all of which are determined by Abraham H. Maslow, a well- respected psychologist, are the "hierarchy of needs." These are needs that everyone should have the ability to acquire. Unfortunately, the much needed support from many parents are being cut off too early. As a college student entering adulthood, I witness many peers facing very stressful times of their lives. At this time of their lives, a number of peers have been "released" from parental support, hoped to have been given to them until individual security was found. Instead, many peers have found themselves desperately "on their own." This early release from parental support comes at a crucial time to many, because it disrupts the need to prepare themselves completely for society. To too many of my fellow students, education and support is replaced by financial and emotional burdens. The weight of the many hardships that arrive, restricts a clear thinking mind, necessary for education and personal development. A child must have full support from the parents to gain knowledge and security in the world. Immature detachment of parental support, will result in the disturbance to acquire personal potential. Parents should think about the needs of the children and continue to support them through the many lengths and levels throughout life. We live in a complex society where love, care, advice, and assistance are of priceless value. Because living is about learning, parents should be available to their children for under... ...l become useful in this world. An uneducated and unemotionally stable individual may experience much hardship and struggle. Timeless support from parents is all that one needs to find the development of our potentials and full understanding of the world. Through parents we learn to love, to care, to find acceptance, and to protect ourselves from the physical and social environment. We learn from what is right and wrong as a child, to understanding confusing situations to life as adults. While seeking love and support as infants, adolescents, and adults, we return to our love back to our parents as they reach old age and are of need to our care and acceptance. Through timeless love and support we are brought up as responsible, caring, and competent people to society because of our well developed and mature knowledge. Only when, as a young adult, I see well-established love and support from parents to my peers, do I really see the love and appreciation felt from my peers towards the mother and/or father. This unconditional, untimed love and support are all that is necessary to breed happiness in both parent and child. Put your paper here.

Yellow Fever

1.) Three diseases that could possibly be related to Todd's case are Malaria, Yellow Fever, and Typhoid Fever. All of these included the same symptoms, such as: fever, headache, chills, vomiting, bleeding of some type(gums or nose†¦. even though â€Å"nose bleeding† wasn't a symptom of Todd's†¦ it still threw up a red flag to me), joint pain(could be related to back pain), liver symptoms(yellow skin/jaundice – Malaria doesn't have â€Å"liver symptoms†, but it does have ‘anemia' as a symptom, so this still placed it as a â€Å"contender† for me)†¦etc. 2.) The pathogen most likely affecting Todd is the genus Flavivirus, which is transmitted by the vector Masoni africana. I believe this to be the pathogen & vector not only because it is the primary carrier of yellow fever(which matches the signs & symptoms Todd was experiencing), but also because it is found in tropical areas(they were in the rain forests of Ghana). 3.) The clinical name for Todd's condition is Jungle/Sylvatic Yellow Fever(Coquillettidia fuscopennata). It is usually spread from infected monkeys to humans by the bite of a female mosquito. It is most commonly found in tropical rain forests(aka ‘jungles')†¦. this is where the â€Å"jungle† part of the name of the condition derives from. – The â€Å"yellow† part of ‘Yellow Fever' comes from the fact that as the virus enters the later(toxic phase), the liver is damaged, causing jaundice(YELLOWing of the skin). 4.) There are two types of Yellow Fever†¦ Urban Yellow Fever and Jungle/Sylvatic Yellow Fever. The Urban Yellow Fever is transmitted by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. It is spread when the mosquito bites an infected person and then carries that virus to another human. The Jungle/Sylvatic Yellow Fever usually originates in monkeys and is typically spread to humans when they enter a rainforest in Africa(or any other tropical atmosphere) via the Masoni africana. -This virus can't be spread from person to person†¦ only by mosquito bite. 5.) If Kevin wasn't bitten by a mosquito with this specific virus, he won't have the virus(or any symptoms of this virus). He should, however, be tested for this virus because the first symptoms don't appear until 3-6 days after being bitten by the mosquito. 6.) The virus is endemic in the tropical areas of Africa, due to the fact that the Masoni africana is found in African rainforests AND most of the residents of this area have built up an immunity to this virus†¦ but it could possibly become an epidemic if large numbers of non-Africa-residing people continue to visit this area and become infected OR if the mosquitos that carry this virus are brought out of Africa to other areas of the world and begin to infect numerous individuals. 7.) Yellow Fever is very UNcommon in the United States†¦ the incidence rate is approximately 1:272,000,000. 8.) There is no specific treatment for Yellow Fever. The infected individual is usually hospitalized and signs and symptoms are treated as they arise†¦. Such administering fluids for dehydration, pain relief medications, dialysis for kidney failure, blood transfusions due to massive blood loss†¦etc. 9.) It IS possible that Todd will die from this virus. It is estimated that there are 30,000 deaths out of the 200,000(worldwide) total cases of Yellow Fever annually. 10.) The Yellow Fever vaccine is available and is the single-most important preventative measure against this virus. It has been shown to provide immunity for 30-35 years or more and begins to provide immunity within one week. This immunization is required prior to arriving in Ghana(Africa).

Is Hong Kong an Ideal Place

Is Hong Kong an ideal place? According to the Global Urban Competitiveness Report (2007-2008) Hong Kong dropped 7 places to 26 as a competitive city for investment. If it's any consolation, Hong Kong remained one of the most affluent cities in the world and one of the top 5 in Asia in term of economy, infrastructure and freedom of speech. Yes, Hong Kong is undoubtedly achieved so well with flying color, having a stable economy, good job market and good accessibility to anywhere due to intra-city transport network. However, the quality of life in this cosmopolitan city does not completely meet the expectation of its people in terms of social, economical and environmental indicators. Firstly, Hong Kong is particularly shot of flat land for building purpose. Owning to the scarcity of land and the large population, housing has often been a grave problem in Hong Kong. Indeed, many Hong Kong people aspire to own a better home. However, due to spiraling rent and house prize, more and more people are unable to afford the high value. Sandwich class suffers the most. As they are not eligible to public housing, the only choice for them is to endure extremely high prize. Reasonably good housing accommodation within the means of the average Hong Kong people is often seriously lacking—- the government should exert themselves. Secondly, serious air pollution spoils the quality of our life and threatens our very existence. In fact, the problem of air pollution has been particularly acute in recent year and the number of days with foggy condition per year also increases. Those lingering exhaust fumes leave a bad impression on the minds of visitors. This turn down the tourism industry, as they are unsatisfied the view of the Victoria Harbour. Thirdly, as Hong Kong follows a â€Å"small government† traditional thinking, one of the important reasons for having an unprecedented surplus is a simple tax system and lower tax rate, attracting businessman to invest and tourists to spend here. Behind the government’s bumper harvest, a large demand to share the fruits of economic development is pushing on Financial Secretary. After the fiscal budget is launched, the policy remains the same as the previous budget, showing that they have no sense of improving the quality of living of the citizens and strengthen the competitiveness of Hong Kong. Hong Kong has best of the west and east blended here. Hong Kong people are proud of having such advantages. When the housing problem and air pollution are solved, Hong Kong will surely become a more stable and prosperous city. Hong Kong government should take more concern from society to get benefits from flourishing economy.

Linguistic Typology

Linguistic Typology Linguistic Typology is the analysis, comparison, and classification of languages according to their common structural features and forms. This is also called cross-linguistic typology.   The branch of linguistics that studies the structural similarities between languages, regardless of their history, as part of an attempt to establish a satisfactory classification, or typology, of languages is known as typological linguistics (Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics, 2008). Examples   Typology is the study of linguistic systems and recurring patterns of linguistic systems. Universals are typological generalizations based on these recurring patterns.Linguistic typology took off in its modern form with the ground-breaking research of Joseph Greenberg, such as, for example, his seminal paper on a cross-linguistic survey of word order leading to a series of implicational universals (Greenberg 1963). . . . Greenberg also attempted to establish methods for quantifying typological studies, in order that linguistic typology could meet scientific standards (cf. Greenberg 1960 [1954]). Furthermore, Greenberg re-introduced the importance of studying the ways languages change, but with the emphasis that language changes give us possible explanations for language universals (cf., for example, Greenberg 1978).Since Greenbergs pioneering efforts linguistic typology has grown exponentially and is, as any science, continuously being enhanced and redefined as to methods and approac hes. The last few decades have seen the compilation of large-scale databases with the help of ever more refined technology, which have led to new insights as well as given rise to new methodological issues.(Viveka Velupillai, An Introduction to Linguistic Typology. John Benjamins, 2013) Tasks of Linguistic Typology Among the tasks of general linguistic typology we include . . . a) the classification of languages, i.e., the construction of a system to order natural languages on the basis of their overall similarity; b) the discovery of the mechanism of construction of languages, i.e., the construction of a system of relationships, a network by means of which not only the obvious, categorial mechanisms of language can be read but also the latent ones.(G. Altmann and W. Lehfeldt, Allgemeinge Sprachtypologie: Prinzipien und Messverfahren, 1973; quoted by Paolo Ramat in Linguistic Typology. Walter de Gruyter, 1987) Fruitful Typological Classifications: Word Order In principle, we might pick on any structural feature and use it as the basis of classification. For example, we could divide languages into those in which the word for a canine animal is [dog] and those in which it isnt. (The first group here would contain exactly two known languages: English and the Australian language Mbabaram.) But such a classification would be pointless since it wouldnt lead anywhere.The only typological classifications which are of interest are those which are fruitful. By this, we mean that the languages in each category should turn out to have other features in common, features which are not used to set up the classification in the first place.[The most celebrated and fruitful of all typological classifications has proved to be one in terms of basic word order. Proposed by Joseph Greenberg in 1963 and more recently developed by John Hawkins and others, word-order typology has revealed a number of striking and previously unsuspected correlations. For example, a language with SOV [Subject, Object, Verb] order is highly likely to have modifiers that precede their head nouns, auxiliaries that follow their main verbs, postpositions instead of prepositions, and a rich case system for nouns. A VSO [Verb, Subject, Object] language, in contrast, usually has modifiers that follow their nouns, auxiliaries that precede their verbs, prepositions, and no cases.(R.L. Trask, Language, and Linguistics: The Key Concepts, 2nd ed., edited by Peter Stockwell. Routledge, 2007) Typology and Universals [T]ypology and universals research are intimately related: if we have a set of significant parameters whose values none the less show a high degree of correlation, then the network of relations among these parameter values can equally be expressed in the form of a network of implicational universals (absolute or tendencies).Clearly, the more widespread the net of logically independent parameters that can be linked in this way, the more significant is the typological base being used.(Bernard Comrie, Language Universals, and Linguistic Typology: Syntax and Morphology, 2nd ed. The University of Chicago Press, 1989) Typology and Dialectology There is evidence from linguistic varieties around the world, including Greek dialects, to suggest that the distribution of structural characteristics over the worlds languages may not be entirely random from a sociolinguistic point of view. For example, we have seen indications that long-term contact involving child bi-lingualism may lead to increased complexity, including redundancy. Conversely, contact involving adult second language acquisition may lead to increased simplification. Furthermore, communities with dense, tightly-knit social networks may be more likely to demonstrate fast-speech phenomena and the consequences of this, and more likely to experience unusual sound changes. I would like to suggest, moreover, that insights of this type can complement research in linguistic typology by giving an explanatory edge to the findings of this discipline. And I would also suggest that these insights should give some sense of urgency to typological research: if it is true that cert ain types of linguistic structure are to be found more frequently, or possibly only, in dialects spoken in smaller and more isolated communities, then we had better research these types of communities as rapidly as we can while they still exist. Source Peter Trudgill, The Impact of Language Contact and Social Structure. Dialectology Meets Typology: Dialect Grammar From a Cross-linguistic Perspective, ed. by Bernd Kortmann. Walter de Gruyter, 2004

Robert Sengstacke Abbott Biography

Robert Sengstacke Abbott Biography Abbot was born in Georgia on November 24, 1870. His parents, Thomas and Flora Abbott were both former slaves. Abbott’s father died when he was young, and his mother remarried John Sengstacke, a German immigrant.   Abbott attended Hampton Institute in 1892 where he studied printing as a trade. While attending Hampton, Abbott toured with the Hampton Quartet, a group similar to the Fisk Jubilee Singers. He graduated in 1896 and two years later, he graduated from Kent College of Law in Chicago. Following law school, Abbott made several attempts to establish himself as an attorney in Chicago. Due to racial discrimination, he was unable to practice law. Newspaper Publisher: The Chicago Defender In 1905, Abbott founded The Chicago Defender. With an investment of twenty-five cents, Abbott published the first edition of  The Chicago Defender  by using his landlord’s kitchen to print copies of the paper. The first edition of the newspaper was an actual collection of news clippings from other publications as well as Abbotts reporting.   By 1916,  The Chicago Defender’s  circulation was 50,000 and it was considered one of the best African-American newspapers in the United States. Within two years, the circulation had reached 125,000 and by the early 1920s, it was well over 200,000.   From the outset, Abbott employed yellow journalistic tactics-sensational headlines and dramatic news accounts of African-American communities. The paper’s tone was militant. Writers  referred to African-Americans, not as black or negro but as the race. Graphic images of lynchings, assaults and other acts of violence against African-Americans were published prominently in the paper. These images were not present to scare its readers, but rather, to shed light on lynchings and other acts of violence that African-Americans endured throughout the United States.  Through its coverage of the  Red Summer of 1919, the publication used these race riots to campaign for anti-lynching legislation. As an African-American news publisher, Abbott’s mission was not only to print news stories, he had a nine-point mission that included: American race prejudice must be destroyedThe opening up of all trade-unions to blacks as well as whites.Representation in the Presidents CabinetEngineers, firemen, and conductors on all American railroads, and all jobs in government.Representation in all departments of the police forces over the entire United StatesGovernment schools open to all American citizens in preference to foreignersMotormen and conductors on surface, elevated and motor bus lines throughout AmericaFederal legislation to abolish lynching.Full enfranchisement of all American citizens. Abbott was a supporter of The Great Migration and wanted southern African-Americans to escape the economic disadvantages and social injustice that plagued the South. Writers such as Walter White and Langston Hughes served as columnists; Gwendolyn Brooks published one of her earliest poems in the pages of the publication. The Chicago Defender and the Great Migration   In an effort to push the Great Migration forward, Abbott held an event on May 15, 1917, called the Great Northern Drive. The Chicago Defender  published train schedules and job listings in its advertising pages as well as editorials, cartoons, and news articles to persuade African-Americans to relocate to northern cities. As a result of Abbott’s depictions of the North, The Chicago Defender became known as â€Å"the greatest stimulus that the migration had.†Ã‚   Once African-Americans had reached northern cities, Abbott used the pages of the publication not only to show horrors of the South, but also the pleasantries of the North.

3 questions - statistics related Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

3 questions - statistics related - Assignment Example According to the table above, the mean average miles per gallon are 28.3792 when the total sample of purchasers is 24. In the same manner, out of the 24 sampled data, the sample variance is 8.859 whereas the sample standard deviation is 2.97643 as shown in the SPSS output table above. Under the sample of 24, which is below 30, the most appropriate statistical test, using the 0.5 significance level is the student’s t-distribution test. Under this test, the sample must be 30 or less, and the arithmetic mean is not normally distributed. According to the output table above, the Adjusted R squared is 0.030, meaning that only 3% of the variables explain the dependent variable Int. 2. The adjusted R squared helps in predicting how the regression model predicts responses for the explained observations. In this case, it is the fraction by which the variance of the errors that depends on the sum of squares is less than the variance of the dependent variables. Thus, as argued above, only 3% of the independent variables can predict the dependent variable statistically. When the ANOVA test is run in determining the means among populations, the f statistical value versus the critical value are determined. Under the corrected model, the f statistics is 3.227. Under the assumptions of the hypothesis tests, when the f statistic in attest is lower than the critical f value, then the null hypothesis is rejected. The value obtained means that under the purchase intensions implied by the data above, the null hypothesis is accepted and the independent variables in the states sampled explain the purchase variations. Also as shown in the second table, the means of the states in terms of consumptions are 37.0.18, 50.357, and 51.459 for the states IL, LA, and TX respectively. The standard error is also 4.339, 4.965, and 4.597 respectively as shown in the table

Emergincy Practise Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Emergincy Practise - Research Paper Example The following chart provides information regarding the total capacity of each of these hospitals: The total numbers of fire houses or stations within the region of Chicago are 100 Cityofchicago.org 1). The total numbers of fire trucks operating in the region are 60 (Cityofchicago.org 1). The total numbers of fire fighters that are working for the fire department of the city of Chicago are 4,500 and this figure was reported on Chicago Fire Department’s website that was last updated during the year of 2014 (Cityofchicago.org 1). The total numbers of ambulances that are operating in the region are 75 providing basic as well as advanced level ambulatory services (Cityofchicago.org 1). There are a total of 16 police stations located all over Chicago and the total number of police officers that were working for the Chicago Police Department 13, 857 individuals during the period of 2011 (Chicago Police Department

System Implementation At Red and Hot Chinese Restaurant Assignment

System Implementation At Red and Hot Chinese Restaurant - Assignment Example HACCP is in line with the ISO 9000 standards in terms of ensuring safe restaurant kitchen operations. It is based on the seven principles recommended by the US National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF). It is defined as a system of controls and documentation designed to minimize the potential for food-borne illness due to pathogens or the physical or chemical combination. (Baraban and Durocher, p. 134) It addresses all biological, chemical and physical hazards and how to identify and control/prevent them. Food safety has become an important public policy issue because of concerns about food-borne illnesses and how consumers have increasingly sought ways to lead healthful lifestyles. (Engle and Quagrainie 2006, p. 151) As a result, authorities are increasingly requiring for food establishments and food handlers to have control on sanitation procedures. Some countries are even formulating laws that are related to food safety and the HACCP system. The entire HACCP processes look and appear very technical and complicated, but the truth is that it is an extremely systematic way of ensuring that food is produced in a kitchen is safe. Based on initial research, the HACCP system is a recognized as a worldwide standard in food safety, adopted by various food and hospitality establishments such as hotels, restaurant, ships, and so forth. While there is no formal HACCP system in place at Red and Hot Chinese Restaurant, this does not mean that there is no food safety strategy in place. I found this out, among other important facts about the restaurant, after I conducted a series of interviews with the Kitchen manager, several cooks, stewards and food servers. I have asked a set of questions which determined the staff’s knowledge and actual experience with the HACCP model and how it works.  

Merger And Acquisition Joint Ventures

Merger And Acquisition Joint Ventures Mergers and acquisitions (MAs) are becoming a strategy of choice for organizations attempting to maintain a competitive advantage. This paper reviews related literature to identify some underlying issues related to the success rate of MAs. It also discusses critical issues of joint ventures and also the problems and benefits of them. In addition, there has been an increased focus on the use of inter-firm relationships or strategic alliances in todays business. This paper also argues the factors which lead to successful strategic alliances. When firms are dealing with negative earnings and/or economic downturns, operational restructuring and consolidation are initiated as a rescue tool. Some firms recover, while the others fail to survive. Restructring and consolidation are the next issues which discuss generally. Introduction and Background Mergers and Acquisitions Acquisitions and mergers are a national as well as global trend. They occur everywhere in organizations, administrative units and businesses in all industries and of all sizes. Many people are at stake and a great deal of money as well (Balle, N. 2008). Mergers and acquisitions are becoming an increasingly popular strategic option for organizations (McEntire and Bentley, 1996). In fact, recent stimates indicate that the annual price tag of mergers and acquisitions consummated in the USA exceeds $1 trillion (Stanwick, 2000). Mergers are commonly characterized as the consolidation of two organizations into a single organization. Acquisitions, by contrast, are commonly characterized as the purchase of one organization from another where the buyer or acquirer maintains control (Borys and Jemison, 1989). Mergers and acquisitions (MAs) have been a very popular strategic maneuver for global businesses, attaining growth, diversification, or profitability (Fowler and Schmidt, 1988). In fact, the merger mania that started in the 1980s, continued throughout the 1990s and is still vigorous (Houghton et al., 2003). MAs are nothing but extreme forms of organizational change, and change is often perceived by employees as threatening, due to their feeling of vulnerability and fear of losing security (Saunders and Thronhill, 2003). Under these circumstances, they have become increasingly important in helping to redefine employment relationships (Anderson and Schalk, 1998; Cartwright and Cooper, 1993; Guest, 1998; Herriot and Pemberton, 1995, 1996; Hiltrop, 1995; McLean Parks and Kidder, 1994; Turnley et al., 2003). Joint Ventures Joint ventures (JVs) occur when two or more legally separate bodies form a jointly owned entity in which they invest and engage in various decision making activities (Geringer, 1988; 1991). A joint venture may be termed International (IJV) where at least one of the parties (or parents) is based outside the country where the venture is taking place or if the joint venture is being administered on a wide level in more than one country (Geringer and Hebert, 1989). JVs are now seen in terms of weaponry employed by companies within the context of their business networks to facilitate competition in relation to firms core markets and technologies (Beamish and Banks, 1987; Harrigan, 1987; Buckley and Casson, 1996); they are thus of vital strategic importance for international business and their significance is growing. It has been argued that various features of culture might affect the development of joint ventures. In their article Swierczek and Hirsch (1994) concluded that it is important that future partners understand the impact of differences in culture before they begin to joint venture. They added that JVs are often characterized by problems of misunderstanding and limited effectiveness because of the lack of compatibility of the cultures represented in the joint ventures. Similarly Beamish and Inkpen (1995) found that MNEs could benefit equally well from local market knowledge which their partners could provide. They also stated that the life cycles of many manufacturing subsidiaries are short because the MNE is unable to understand the knowledge of local culture, economy and politics. Strategic Alliances A strategic alliance is an agreement between two or more partners to share knowledge or resources which could be beneficial to all parties involved. Strategic alliances can be as simple as two companies sharing their technological and/or marketing resources. In contrast, they can be highly complex, involving several companies, located in different countries. These firms may in turn be linked with other organizations in separate alliances. The result is a maze of intertwined companies which may be competing with each other in several product areas. (Niren M. Vyas, William L. Shelburn and Dennis C. Rogers 1999). A few years ago strategic alliances were perceived as an option reserved only for corporate giants. Today, however, for many companies, a go-it-alone strategy no longer seems to be a viable alternative. As a result of the maturation of several trends of the 1980s intensified foreign competition, shortened product cycles, soaring capital investment costs, and the evergrowing demand for new technologies alliances are becoming an attractive strategy for the future (Niren M. Vyas, William L. Shelburn and Dennis C. Rogers 1999). Restructuring and Consolidation It is rare to find a single product company. Most have diversified their interests into related or unrelated areas. Some companies are known as restructuring companies, The latter acquire other companies essentially for the purpose of reorganizationing or streamlining and selling them off subsequently to other owners at a profit. Restructuring companies also have the function of aiding the process of restructuring an industry (Proctor, T. 2001). Operational restructuring involves making decisions about appropriate workforce size and skill requirements, plant capacity and location, functions consolidation, and possible shifts in production focus. More specifically, operational restructuring can be considered a program: that is planned and controlled by management, and materially changes either: the scope of a business undertaken by an enterprise; or the manner in which the business is conducted (Lin and Lee and Gibbs, 2007). Focusing is on operational restructurings for two primary reasons. First, such events often affect a companys business strategies, operations, organizational functions, and existing management structures. Second, operational restructurings entail controversial corporate accounting practices of restructuring charges (Lin and Lee and Gibbs, 2007). Corporate consolidation is a topic of active debate among academics and practitioneres alike. Academic reserches emphasis the importance role corporate consolidation play in disciplining under-performing management and imposing operating efficiences (Healy 1992; Jarrel et al., 1988), practitioners view it as a tool of market share expansion and an effective response to a plethora of competitive challenges (Read, 1999; Howell, 2002). In its most visible form, M As, corporate consolidation is a sizable business run in Europe by established national players operating, increasingly, on a cross-border basis (Berg, 2002). Merger and Acquisitions Several researchers have suggested that in most cases MAs fail to meet initial financial expectations (i.e. Bruner and Spekman, 1998; Haveman, 1992; Very and Schweiger, 2001; Zollo, 2003). Back in the 1980s, Lubatkin insisted that although MAs had been a very important and popular means for executing organizational strategies, less than 20 percent actually achieved its expected financial or strategic objectives. Almost a decade later, Cartwright and Cooper (1992) quoted nearly 40 per cent failure rates for change efforts and a few years later, 1996, nearly 50 percent of MAs failure rate to achieve initial objectives. Along the same lines, Weber (1996) found that 35 per cent of those MAs that fail in their first three years of life are a result of poor employee relations. Over the years, several researchers have raised that percent again, advocating that more than two-thirds of MAs fail to create meaningful shareholder value (Ashkenas et al., 1998; Carr et al., 2004; Marks and Mirvis, 1998). As for the main reasons for such failure rates, there is a dispute among researchers. Existing literature has identified among the main reasons for not fulfilling initial goals both hard and soft factors. Specifically, there are researchers suggesting that paying the wrong price, buying for the wrong reason, selecting the wrong partner, and buying at the wrong time are some of the most prominent ones (i.e. Armenakis, 1999; Haleblian, 1999). However, others insist that underestimation of depth of the problems related to the human factor during a M or A condemns the projects success, and thus, more attention has to be given on employees needs (i.e. Bijlsma-Frankema, 2001; De Cock and Rickards, 1996; Houghton et al., 2003; Lesowitz and Knauff, 2003; Seibert, 1995; Stahl et al., 2003). Focus on value creation, not just integration Many companies organize their post-merger integration activities on a functional basis rather than a value-added basis. While many functional activities must be consolidated (such as bringing databases together and rationalizing policies, procedures and IT systems), not all integration activities yield equal benefits. Blindly and aggressively integrating various functions and businesses without regard to a value-creating hierarchy can actually destroy value (Chanmugam, Shill, Mann, Ficery and Pursche, 2005). Use culture as a value-creation tool The most successful acquirers of the future will see culture as a tool in three ways. First, they will look at cultural differences during the target identification and bidding phases, assess the potential impact of those differences, and incorporate their analysis into the valuation and bid. Second, they will try to avoid the pitfalls common during pre- and post-merger planning, and actively incorporate the elements of each companys culture that best support the desired combination. Finally, they will proactively use culture to create value through the use of high-visibility retention, promotion, termination and structural organizational design decisions (Chanmugam, Shill, Mann, Ficery and Pursche, 2005). Joint Ventures Critical Issues for IJVs An IJV is defined as an equity sharing arrangement in which a foreign corporation and a local firm (either private or government owned) pool their resources, sharing risks and operational control to operate an independent business unit on a continuous basis for profit and/or to attain some strategic objective (Geringer and Hebert, 1991). Broadly viewed, the IJV market entry mode represents two opposing trends. First, judged by the number of entries, it is becoming increasingly popular as a mode of market entry and expansion (Makino and Beamish, 1998; Vanhonacker and Pan, 1997). In recent years an increasing number of global corporations have become involved in IJVs at home and overseas, covering many sectors, industries, and product groups (Griffith, Zeybek and OBrien, 2001). The second issue relates to the fragile nature of IJVs, and it has been repeatedly argued that the failure rate or instability rate of IJVs is above thirty percent, and it is often markedly higher compared to other alternative forms of market entry and operation (Makino and Beamish, 1998). Gomes-Casseres (1989) offered two explanations for reasons of instability in any JV, arguing that the partners simply made a mistake; forming a JV when it may not have been the best thing to do, or they joined up with the wrong partner. Further, that their ini tial decision was right, but conditions changed so that the JV was no longer useful (Cullen, Johnson, and Sakano, 1995). Problems with Joint Ventures Some of the main problems with Joint Ventures include: Significant differences in the major goals of the parties, Details of the joint venture contract, The foreign corporations global integration and the local partners national orientation, Differences between the partners concerning marketing, Desire for control, Transfer pricing conflicts, Conflict over decision making, managerial processes and style (Julian and OCass, 2003). Benefits of Joint Ventures Joint ventures provide companies with the opportunity to obtain new capacity and expertise. They allow companies to enter into related businesses or new geographic markets or obtain new technological knowledge. Joint ventures have a relatively short life span (5-7 years) and therefore do not represent a long-term commitment. In the era of divesture and consolidation, they offer a creative way for companies to exit from non-core businesses (companies can gradually separate a business from the rest of the organization, and ultimately, sell it to the other parent company (appr. 80% of all joint ventures end in a sale by one partner to the other) (Trafford and Proctor 2006). Succe of a Joint Venture success of a joint venture may be influenced by five important characteristics. These characteristics are illustrated as building blocks in a model which Trafford and Proctor(2006), have termed the COPED model. COPED Model (Trafford and Proctor, 2006) Communication Many business alliances fail to meet expectations because little attention is given to nurturing the close working relationships and interpersonal connections that unite the partnering organisations (Weitz and Jap, 1995). An awareness of communication processes is essential within alliances if maximum efforts are to be coordinated and directed towards the success of strategic alliances. Ineffective communication can reduce the effectiveness of a strategic alliance and thus lead to conflict between partners (Jain, 1987). There is an assumption that organisations will function better if communication is open, if relationships are based on mutual understanding and trust, if relationships are co-operative rather than competitive, if people work together in teams, and if decisions are reached in a participative way. These conditions, however, are not observed in many organisational situations. Main barriers to communication concern are power differences; gender differences; physical surroundings; language; and cultural diversity (Huczynski and Buchanan, 2001). Openness Trust is considered a prerequisite for alliance success (Byrne, 1993) and lack of trust is a major reason for alliance failures (Peng and Shenkar, 2002). There is evidence to point to the fact that strategic alliances may be unstable and their success rate poor (Gant, 1995). Partner firms need to manage this risk adequately by understanding the conjoint roles of trust and control. The establishment of a new relationship between members of the organisation at all levels a relationship based on trust is an issue that is becoming increasingly important to organisations (Handy, 1995). Planning Many strategic alliances lack alliance strategies. A coherent alliance strategy has four elements: (1) a business strategy to shape the logic and design of the alliance; (2) a dynamic view to guide the management and evolution of the alliance; (3) a portfolio approach to enable co-ordination among the alliance to enhance flexibility; and (4) an internal infrastructure that supports and strives to maximise the value of external collaboration (Gomes-Casseres, 2000). When managed well, the above elements can create tremendous value. At the wrong time and when managed poorly, they can be costly distractions (Gomes-Casseres, 2000). According to Hill and Jones (2001), the strategic planning process can be broken down into five main steps: (1) mission and objectives; (2) environmental scanning; (3) strategy formation; (4) strategy implementation; and (5) evaluation and control. Ethos Ethos is the characteristic spirit or attitudes of a community, or people (Webster, 1992). It comes very much to the fore in strategic alliances when the co-operating firms continue to be independent organisations and a new situation appears in which an interaction is established between two firms with different organisational cultures. This usually implies different leadership styles and different objectives, which may lead to lack of trust between the parties and to conflicts which may arise when the time comes to make decisions (Buono, 1991). Similarly, cultural conflicts are more common in joint ventures, where a closer contact between the partners is required, than in contractual alliances (Schultz, 1998). Direction The public sector is under pressure to improve service delivery and cooperate more effectively (Cabinet Office, 2003). There is a growing demand for leaders able to carry out these tasks, and to see through fundamental processes of change. The appointment, monitoring, reward and accountability structures and processes all play some part in inhibiting and/or encouraging certain forms of leadership which give the correct direction. Strategic Alliances Parkhe (1993) defined a strategic alliance as a: relatively enduring interfirm co-operative agreement, involving flows and linkages that use resources and/or governance structures from autonomous organizations, for the joint accomplishment of individual goals linked to the corporate mission of each sponsoring firm. Following from this definition, it can be seen that an alliance must be a formal part of business strategy (Johnson, 1999), meaning that an agreement between two partners must be formalised into a contract, as opposed to a handshake deal or a verbal agreement. Second, alliances must be mutually beneficial; that is, they must result in a win-win situation. Koza and Lewin (1998) argued that one of the many reasons that strategic alliances were formed was to seek out new knowledge by acquiring new technology and skills. In this type of alliance they argued that the partners would seek to reduce information asymmetry between the partners. This may involve the standardization of service delivery of production processes, joint strategic planning, sharing of databases and knowledge transfer through staff exchanges. A second and related motivation for forming an alliance was to explore for new market opportunities. This involved innovation, basic research, invention, risk taking, building new capabilities, entering new lines of business, and investments in the firms absorptive capacity. Barriers to successful Strategic Alliances Barriers to successful strategic alliances must also be recognized. The three major barriers are: (1) Failure to understand and adapt to new style of management. The adaptation of a new style of management requires a change in corporate culture which must be initiated and nurtured from the top. (2) Failure to learn and understand the cultural differences. Not only do the cultural differences exist among international firms seeking alliances, but corporate cultures may be different among firms from the same country. Flexibility and learning are the greatest tools in overcoming this barrier. (3) Lack of iron-clad commitment to succeed. Individuals who negotiated or implemented the initial alliance agreement may change due to promotions, transfers, retirement, or terminations. Continuity of total commitment for the alliance is needed at all levels in the organization without which the alliance will fail to reach its full potential (Vyas, Shelburn and Rogers, 1995). Importance of Knowledge in Strategic Alliances Inter-firm cooperative initiatives are one of the precious ways for firms to identify, transfer and internalize external knowledge. Koguts review of literature addressing joint ventures found that one of the firms main motivations for entering into collaborative agreements was to transfer organizational knowledge (Kogut, 1988). Berg and Friedman, in a study of over 300 JVs at the 2-digit SIC level showed that in many cases, joint ventures did not in fact enhance the market power of the parent firm, but rather functioned as a means of knowledge acquisition (Berg and Friedman, 1981). Thus the issues of knowledge creation, knowledge transfer and learning have attracted researchers and have been examined several times in academic research and management consulting applied studies. Restructuring and Consolidation Why and how to Restructure an Ailing Business A number of typical situations that a firm with declining performance may encounter and could cause this firm to go through an operational restructuring are stated in this section. -Needs for operational restructuring The decision to restructure is driven by a number of considerations. At times, restructuring is in response to significant sea changes in the business environment while in other cases it is done to address poor operating/stock performance. Both internal (e.g. financial distress) and external (e.g. recessions) economic and financial conditions can drive the decision to restructure. Additionally, votes of no confidence in management will likely lead to corporate restructuring (Lin and Lee and Gibbs, 2007). -Typical activities of operational restructuring and consolidation Restructuring and consolidation efforts can take on a couple of forms. Often times management takes steps to contain costs, but in at other times drastic changes such as a refocusing of business direction occurs. For a firm that incurs losses, cost control is often the first step to return to profitability. Slashing labor costs, production costs, selling and administrative expenses, RD expenditures, and financing costs are common measures of corporate restructurings (Denis and Kruse, 2000). Downsizing and employee layoffs are the restructuring actions that are typically taken to cope with poor operating performance, especially within contracting economies(Lin and Lee and Gibbs, 2007). Other Issues Operational restructuring and consolidation has been considered as one important turnaround strategy for a firm in a bad situation, especially during an economic recession. Lin and Lee and Gibbs (2007), stated that delisting risk increases when firms undertake repetitive restructurings, massive workforce reduction, and large-scale asset downsizing. Moreover, firms with high levels of debt and failure to cut costs and/or narrowing its focus on core competencies are also more likely to delist. Conclusion As more and more companies opt to supplement organic growth with mergers and acquisitions, the earlier stages of MA transactions are becoming relatively mature, commoditized processes. According to Galpin and Herndon (2008), in order to build replicable MA integration, MA integration must be managed as an end-to-end business process. MA integration is a competency set with specific skills that must be built throughout the organization. The organizations MA integration process and capabilities must be in place before the train leaves the station that is, before the deal gets done. The organizations MA integration process must be continually improved by learning from previous mistakes and successes. The researches indicate the existence of five helpful characteristics identified under the heading of Communication, Openness, Planning, Ethos and Direction, which may be present in a successful partnership (joint) venture. The COPED model, is for building more comprehensive and productive relationships between public sector organisations and private sector companies which lead them to a successful joint venture. Strategic alliances are in the age of business without boundaries. A strategic objective aimed at expanding the competitive knowledge resource, and clearly there are special skills in bringing these arrangements to fruition. Professional managers recognize that in the age of business without boundaries it is essential that they provide learning opportunities and the necessary knowledge that will enable their employees to effectively and securely collaborate internally and externally. So there is a need for knowledge and learning regarding to strategicalliances (Dealtry, 2008). Operational restructuring has been considered as one important turnaround strategy for a firm in a bad situation, especially during an economic recession. Moreover, firms with high levels of debt and failure to cut costs and/or narrowing its focus on core competencies are also more likely to delist. So considering and learning about restructuring and consolidation is another important isuue to take account for managers.